An electrical panel or panelboard has a main bus and individual connection points on the bus that are connectable to electrical devices, such as circuit breakers for branch conductors and any other electrical devices designed to be installed for a branch circuit. Because the circuit breakers and other branch electrical devices are typically mounted directly to the panelboard, an operator and/or tools may come in contact with exposed conductors in the panelboard when installing or removing the circuit breakers from the panelboard. Bolt-on type circuit breakers are particularly problematic because their line terminals are fastened to the conductors by a bolt or screw and contact with a potentially energized bolt is needed to screw and unscrew the bolt. Thus, although insulated screwdrivers and similar insulated tools are available, it is recommended that power be shut off to the panelboard as a precaution when electrical devices are being installed or removed. However, it may be considered desirable in some cases to keep the panelboard energized to prevent an electrical hazard as a consequence of deenergization, or operators may intentionally keep the power on in the interest of saving time. Moreover, shutting off power to the panelboard can be a major inconvenience, particularly for data centers, hospitals, and other critical applications that require a high availability power source.
Thus, a need exists for an improved way to safely install and remove a circuit breaker or other branch electrical devices from an electrical panel as part of a larger scheme for installing and removing branch circuit devices without deenergizing the electrical panel.